Measurement instruments, such as calipers, micrometers, and dial indicators (test indicators), that are held by the hand of the user when measuring are known.
One such example is the conventional digital calipers illustrated in FIG. 1.
The digital calipers 10 are provided with a main scale (fixed member) 11 that includes a measuring jaw 12, a slider (moving member) 13 movable along the main scale 11, a depth bar 16 configured to move integrally with the slider 13 along the main scale 11, and an encoder (displacement detector) 17 configured to detect the amount of displacement of the slider 13 in relation to the main scale 11. The encoder 17 includes a scale 18 and a detector head 19 configured to detect displacement (or position) in relation to the scale 18. The scale 18 is provided on the main scale 11, and the detector head 19 is provided on the slider 13. Additionally, the back surface of the main scale 11 is provided with a groove (not illustrated) along the longitudinal direction. The depth bar 16 is housed in the groove. The depth bar 16 is configured to project from the end of the main scale 11 when the slider 13 moves.
The slider 13 includes a display unit 14 configured to digitally display information such as the measurement value detected by the encoder 17 and a plurality of mechanical push button switches 15 disposed around the display unit 14.